Medication dispensing means



March 18, 1969 s. HAIGH 3,433,352

MEDICATION DISPENSING MEANS Filed Sept. 28, 1967 INV ENTOR FIG. 4 BRIAN HAIGH BY #Je ATTORNEY United States Patent O "E 3,433,352 MEDICATION DISPENSING MEANS Brian Haigh, Oss, Netherlands, assignor to Organon Inc., West Orange, NJ., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Sept. 28, 1967, Ser. No. 671,461 Claims priority, application Netherlands, Oct. 4, 1966,

6613948 U.S. Cl. 206-42 3 Claims Int. Cl. B65d 83 04 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVEN'ILON It is known to pack ovulation inhibiting preparations, of which one tablet is to be taken daily, in a round box, in which each tablet is loaded in its own individual holder along the circumference, and lbearing a number, or the name of the day on which the tablet is to be taken in a certain period. lIn the cover of the box there is an opening which can be adj-usted over each tablet to remove it from the box. Besides some boxes are also fitted with a concentric disc bearing radially opposite the tablets the names of the days, so that the day of the week can be placed opposite the first tablet to be taken, through which the next tablets are aligned with the days on which they are to be taken.

U.S. patent specification 3,143,207 describes storage boxes, both round and rectangular ones, chiefly comprising a calender element @bearing a plurality of day-of-'week indications, and a tablet holder which can be rotated or moved in relation to each other, so that the dosage scheme is fixed for several weeks.

Furthermore dosage cards are known on which tablets with ovulation inhibiting substances are packed in the form of a ring, mostly along the circumference of the card, with a fixed, so non-adjustable, day-of-week indication for each tablet, so that the schedule can commence any day of the week. On each successive day the next tablet is taken till the card is empty. The sequence on the card is often rendered clearer by arrows between the tablets. These cards invariably contain a multiple of seven tablets, for instance 2l, packed in the form of a ring. However, if the number of tablets is not a multiple of seven, the tablets lwith their fixed day-of-week indication cannot all of them be lplaced in a ring, because one of the series of day-of-week indications is not complete, so that it would not be possible to commence the schedule any arbitrary day. A solution has been found to this problem by .providing the card with a movable calender, or by placing one or more tablets separately. When a card contains 22 tablets for instance, 2l tablets (for a period of three weeks) are packed in the fonm of a ring, the 22nd tablet being placed separately outside the ring.

The object of the invention is to provide a medication unit dispensing device that minimizes the chances for patient-error by eliminating any empty or additional positions in a ring-shaped, serial arrangement of medication -units intended for a regimen based on the physiological requirements of the patient; a further object is to provide a Patented Mar. 18, 1969 closed arrangement of medication units which can be presented in a symmetrical, elegant pattern; a still further object is to provide for an improvement in ease of packaging by a simple, symmetrical arrangement of the units of medication; still another objective is to provide a solidmedication dispensing means which is compact in size; still another is to avoid mechanical encumbrances by movable parts and other objectives become apparent in the disclosure. These objectives are intended for regimens involving a number of tablets other than a multiple of seven, that is, involving more than any multiple of seven or less than any multiple of seven, arranged in a simple, calendar type card or disc.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It has now been found that the foregoing objectives are realized by a medication dispensing means containing packed medication units, comprising a disc having a geometrical contigurtaion, having mounted thereon a succession of medication units arranged in the form of a ring, the number of said medication units being other than a multiple of seven, sa-id disc lbearing on its surface a series of consecutive day indications opposite each of said medication units, beginning at an edge portion of contrasting appearance and terminating on the other side of the row of medication units opposite a selected number thereof.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention there are at least six medication units positioned along said edge portion, and in which the day indication are located outside the row of medication units up to the edge portion, where the day indications are located inside the row of medication units, whereby six medication units are provided with two different day indications.

In another preferred embodiment the disc is spiral in form and the series of consecutive day indications thereon is arranged in a spiral and in which the edge portion of contrast-ing appearance contains seven day indications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the drawings some examples are given of different examples of the cards or discs.

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the dispensing device which is rectangular in shape; FIG. 2 is a plan view of another embodiment which is triangular in configuration; FIG. 3 is a plan view of an embodiment which is approximately circular; FIG. 4 is a plan view of an embodiment which is oval in shape; FIG. 5 is a cross section of the device according to FIG. 1 along the line A-A. In FIG. 5 1 represents the tablet with the upper day indication of Mon and the lower of Sun By 2 is indicated a film or foil, which can form a pocket for the medication units and by 3 a cover layer, e.g. of metal, is shown. The cards may be reinforced, if desired, by an additional layer of, for instance, paper, between the foils 2 and 3 and extending between and around the medication units and having holes in the places occupied by these units. As a matter of course the materials used for the devices must be adapted to the properties of the medication units. They muest e.g. be impermeable to water if the active substance of the units is sensitive to moisture. All cards represented in the drawings contain 2O tablets, but it stands to reason that the cards according to the invention can also be used for any other number of tablets deviating from a multiple of seven.

To save packing material the card is substantially shaped in conformity with the arrangement of the tablets, mostly in the form of a circle, oval, triangle, rectangle and square.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The materials of which the medication cards are made comprise i.e. plastic, paper, cardboard and metal, or a combination thereof. For preference a so-called press through pack is used, in which the tablets are packed in pockets of a film of plastic or foil cf. 2 in lFIG. 5, covered with a thin layer of metal cf. 3 in FIG. 5, for example tin, which can be pressed through. The day-of-week indication is preferably printed on the card, and that as close as possible to the tablet to which it belongs. For preference the day-of-week indications on the edge portion are printed on a strip having a contrasting colour or appearance. Dosaging cards with seven tablets on the edge portion are preferred (see FIGURES l and 2), on which the day-of-week indications of the beginning of the series are on the outside of the row of tablets, those of the end of that series being on the inside thereof, and that under the first six of the seven tablets. Dosaging may commence here on one of the days belonging to this row of seven tablets.

The manufacture of medication cards on which the tablets are arranged in two equal series of e.g. ll tablets in the form of a rectangle, is very cheap, as it is the most compact form of packing and very practical in use.

The actual use of the device is explained with reference to the preferred embodiments of the invention according to the figures of the drawing. The regimen may start on any day by removing the unit marked by the day corresponding to the starting day in the edge portion of contrasting appearance. Each following day the subsequent unit is removed and taken, going clockwise around the ring. When arriving at the first unit with two day indications at the end of the ring, the indication on the inside of the said ring are used, which indications form a smooth continuation of the foregoing series. Thus a continuous series of day indications is obtained, while all medication units are arranged in a closed ring, enabling the user to start medication on any day of the week, and thereafter to check that each unit is taken according to the regimen of one unit per day on consecutive days until all units have been taken, thereby minimizing the chance of error and avoiding mechanical encumbrances by movable parts of the device.

The invention can be used to advantage in all cases in which biologically active substances, such as anticoagulants, diuretics, antidiabetics, antihistaminics and ovulation inhibitors are to be taken regularly for a number of days deviating from a multiple of seven.

In principle it does not make any difference whether the daily dosage consists of more than one item a day. ln this case the day-of-week indication must cover two or more dosage units.

What is claimed is:

1. Medication dispensing means containing packed medication units, comprising a disc having a geometrical configuration, having mounted thereon a succession of medication units arranged in the form of a ring, the number of said medication units being other than a multiple of seven, said disc bearing on its surface a series of consecutive day indications opposite each of said medication units, beginning at an edge portion of contrasting appearance and terminating on the other side of the row of medication units opposite a selected number thereof.

2. The device of claim 1 in which there are at least six medication units positioned along said edge portion, and in which the day indications are located outside the row of medication units up to the edge portion, where the day indications are located inside the row of medication units, whereby six medication units are provided with two different day indications.

3. The device of claim 1 in which the disc is spiral in form and the series of consecutive day indications thereon is arranged in a spiral and in which the edge portion of contrasting appearance contains seven day indications.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,283,885 1l/l966 Grunewald et al 206-42 MARTHA L. RICE, Primary Examiner. 

